A review by shadowcas
Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
2.0
Apparently there are very polarized views when it comes to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’s Shattered Mirror. It’s one of those books that you can either love it or hate it. I first read Shattered Mirror when I was in 8th grade. So 15 years ago? God, that makes me feel old.
When I first read it, I loved it. It had everything I liked about reading: love, vampires, mystery, and the imminent threat of main character death. I thought it was easy to follow, had a well-developed plot, and interesting characters. At the time, it was one of my favorite books.
Now, as a 26-year-old, relatively well-read adult, I found this novel extremely lacking in both plot and character development. I started reading this last night with the expectation that it would remain a wonderful book for me and it failed to even meet those expectations halfway. I failed to find any connection with the characters. It simply fell flat to me. The “romance” was empty and it felt almost like a demented Disney romance, too much, too soon.
Although the book moved along and I finished it in only a few hours, the plot seemed stagnant and devoid any real purpose. When people complain about YA novels, I’m assuming this is the stereotype that warrants the complaints.
My biggest gripe is with the characters themselves. Sarah Vida is the typical “I can’t do anything right so my family is disappointed with me” protagonist. Christopher is wooden and in real life would be stalker creepy rather than sweet. Nissa comes across as simpering and weak. Even Nikolas, the supposed villain, doesn’t give any real reason for his notoriety and infamy.
I’ll give it a 2 out of 5 stars, mostly for the sake of nostalgia. It’s a boring read and Atwater-Rhodes has released much better novels than Shattered Mirror.
When I first read it, I loved it. It had everything I liked about reading: love, vampires, mystery, and the imminent threat of main character death. I thought it was easy to follow, had a well-developed plot, and interesting characters. At the time, it was one of my favorite books.
Now, as a 26-year-old, relatively well-read adult, I found this novel extremely lacking in both plot and character development. I started reading this last night with the expectation that it would remain a wonderful book for me and it failed to even meet those expectations halfway. I failed to find any connection with the characters. It simply fell flat to me. The “romance” was empty and it felt almost like a demented Disney romance, too much, too soon.
Although the book moved along and I finished it in only a few hours, the plot seemed stagnant and devoid any real purpose. When people complain about YA novels, I’m assuming this is the stereotype that warrants the complaints.
My biggest gripe is with the characters themselves. Sarah Vida is the typical “I can’t do anything right so my family is disappointed with me” protagonist. Christopher is wooden and in real life would be stalker creepy rather than sweet. Nissa comes across as simpering and weak. Even Nikolas, the supposed villain, doesn’t give any real reason for his notoriety and infamy.
I’ll give it a 2 out of 5 stars, mostly for the sake of nostalgia. It’s a boring read and Atwater-Rhodes has released much better novels than Shattered Mirror.